SSI News
Dragon CRS-24 launch by SpaceX Falcon 9 marks final supply run of 2021
On 21 December, NASA and SpaceX successfully launched the Dragon CRS-24 (Commercial Resupply Services-24) spacecraft at 1007 GMT using a Falcon 9 v1.2 Block 5 from the Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This marks the final launch of 2021 from...
Rocket Lab’s purchases towards vertical integration continue, SolAero now in its sights
In November 2021 Rocket Lab announced its intention to purchase Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC), an American provider of spacecraft separation systems. This deal was for US$42m and completed on 1 December. Later in December Rocket revealed another purchase,...
Soyuz MS-20 returns ending 12-day space tourism mission
The crew of Soyuz MS-20 closed the hatch for the last time on 19 December 2021 at 1932 GMT. They undocked from the International Space Station Russian Poisk module at 2350 GMT. Around three minutes after undocking, MS-20 performed its first separation burn lasting a...
Two up for SpaceX as Falcon 9 launches deliver 52 Starlink satellites to LEO and Turksat 5B to GTO (Corrected)
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2 Block 5 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA, at 1241 GMT on 18 December. The vehicle was carrying 52 SpaceX-built Starlink commnunications satellites. The launch used an energy expensive "dog leg" to...
Chinese small Kuaizhou-1A rocket has launch failure losing two GeeSat comsats
China attempted to launch a Kuaizhou-1A vehicle carrying the GeeSat 1A and 1B satellites at 0200 GMT on 15 December from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China. It was reported that the vehicle suffered abnormal performance during the launch, which failed. The...
Planet Labs completes SPAC merger and begins NYSE trading
Completing a process which began July this year Planet Labs has merged with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), becoming Planet Labs PBC (Planet). This new or "surviving" entity is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as of 8 December, the...
China announces planned new optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite constellation called 36 Tiangang
According to Space News (Andrew Jones) a new planned Chinese optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth observation satellite constellation dubbed 36 Tiangan has been announced which is designed to help disaster prevention, early warning and natural resource...
Russian Proton launches two Express AMU comsats but undershoots them…as Chinese Long March 3B launches Tianlan data relay sat
Russia launched a Proton M/Briz M vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan at 1207 GMT on 13 December, but not everything went to plan. The launch vehicle was carrying the Express AMU-3 (Ekspress-AMU 3) and Express AMU-7 (Ekspress-AMU 7)...
NanoAvionics selected to provide CubeSat platforms for Chilean and American missions
A Chilean start-up, Lemu, has ordered a 6U CubeSat from NanoAvionics which will become the country's first private satellite. The satellite, to be called Lemu Nge, is set to host a hyperspectral imager built by South African company, Simera, according to the 2...
Blue Origin launches six more “astronauts” including daughter of first US suborbital spaceman Alan B. Shepard
After a previous launch attempt on 9 December was called off due to high winds, Blue Origin managed to launch the third of its New Shepard human-carrying suborbital flights. The launch was officially named NS-19 but also dubbed Glen Derries in the technology...
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